Army of One
by M. Thomas
Summary: This is a fun little story about how Locke managed to slow the forces in South Figaro before heading to Narshe.
1. Chapter 1

_Authors Note: The name Lance Manning is used multiple times in this story. That particular name was a creation of Maggie Rennie, and comes from her story 'A Thief's Tale'. If you haven't read it yet, you're missing out on one of the best fanfics ever written about Locke Cole. _

Army of One

Chapter 1

With one last warning to Terra, Locke grabbed the messengers report and headed for the exit. Briefly skimming the data, he decided that it would be suicide to head back across the Sabil Mountains with the Imperial Army barreling toward them. His only other option would be northwest of the Returner's base through the Willowman Pass.

Locke sighed at the thought of having to make the climb across the Willowman, but decided that the extra time could help him formulate a plan for what to do when he reached South Figaro. "It's amazing where I am now, and where I've come from," he mused out loud as he trekked across the grassy plain. "It just seems to get progressively harder. First it was 'Locke, join the Returners.' Then 'Locke, steal information for us.' Then 'Locke, rescue the witch.' Now it's 'Locke, stop an army.' When's it going to end? What's next? 'Locke, save the world?'"

As he plodded on, the gently rolling green meadow quickly gave way to rocky hills, and Locke started his long ascent into the Willowman. Considering it only added a couple of days onto the trip between the Returner's base and South Figaro, it was not a bad alternate route for small groups. On the other hand, taking an army through the pass would take weeks since some of the areas where so narrow that only two abreast could pass at a time. Locke hoped that there was not a contingent of soldiers waiting at the other end of the pass hoping to catch the fleeing Returner's. It would all depend on how thorough the Empire's scouts had been when they mapped the area. Thankfully, few knew of the Willowman and fewer used it. It was too inconvenient and slow for travelers, and not challenging enough for the outdoor sports enthusiasts.

Moving onward and upward through the terrain and occasional wild animal, Locke reached the entrance to the pass at around sunset. Looking back over his shoulder, he could see the dying rays of the sun cast a reddish glow on the smoke rising from the Returner's base. The army had clearly been moving faster than they anticipated. As he slung his pack off his shoulder, he thought of those who had been in the hideout and he hoped that everyone had made it out safely.

He pulled a piece of dried, salted meat from one of the flaps in his pack and tore off a chunk with his teeth before putting it back. After a quick stretch, he hoisted pack up again and began to move into the pass while gathering sticks and twigs from the scrub brush that grew on the mountain. At this elevation, it would be deathly cold all night long and a fire would be a necessity.

With his arms finally full of wood, Locke began to scan the side of the pass for a particular cave. In a few short moments, he found the hole he was looking for. Though it looked like a regular cave from the outside, Locke knew this particular hole to be the perfect place to camp for the night. It only extended for about ten feet, but since the hole angled upward into the rock face, it didn't trap the cold mountain air. There was a place, out of the wind, to build a fire and a small ventilation shaft to allow the smoke to filter out.

Upon reaching the fire pit, he wasted no time in getting the fire started and the cave warmed up. After the blaze was under control, Locke left to gather some more wood and to fill a small pot with run-off water that cascaded down from the higher peaks. With a bundle of wood under his arm and a pot of water in his hand, Locke took one last look at the setting sun and headed inside to make his dinner.

He set the pot of water in the direct heat of the fire so that it could come to a boil. Then, he took out the dried meat and tore off three strips. He also rummaged through his pack for a small leather skin that held dried vegetables and spices. It took very little time for the water to begin boiling, and Locke added the meat, vegetables, and spices taking care to move the pot out of the direct flames so that it could simmer for a while.

Patience was a virtue that he held in spades, so it didn't bother him to wait for the soup to finish cooking. Instead of thinking about his impending meal, he turned his thoughts to planning what to do when he reached South Figaro. "If I can find a way to disrupt communication between the officers in town, and their troops, that would be an advantage for us," he thought while adding some sea salt to the simmering mix.

"Standard long distance communication is usually done by carrier pigeon," Locke thought out loud as he stirred the fire with a stick. "If I can get back to Figaro, I'll get some homing pigeons from there and swap them with the Imperial birds. That'll reroute all communications to Figaro. Hmmmm. I like that!"

After a little more time pondering his plan, Locke noticed that the soup had cooled down enough to eat, and he inhaled the aroma rising from the pot. "Ahh. Just like Grandma used to make," he said with a self-satisfied smile.

After a quick meal, he built the fire up one last time, unfurled his sleeping bag and curled up for a good nights rest.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Locke awoke to a chilly breeze and the muted light filtering into his little cave. He had slept so hard that he was having a problem remembering where he was and what he was doing. As he rubbed the sleep away from his eyes, his mind began to clear and he remembered that he was in the mountains and his course was toward the desert and Figaro Castle.

He opened his sleeping bag and scooted over to the fire pit. The fire was out and there appeared to be nothing left but black coals. Locke suppressed a shiver as he gently blew on the coals and saw the red sparks come to life. At the small sign of life coming from the embers, he began to load the fire pit with sticks and twigs. Blowing on the coals caused smoke to rise from the twigs as they slowly caught fire. In a few scant minutes, he had a roaring flame to chase the chill out of the cave.

The cold mountain air had dried out his throat at some point in the night. Deciding that a cup of hot tea was the way to go, Locke slid down the passage and headed outside to get some water. When he reached the entrance, he was a little surprised to find that the cloud line had descended into the pass. As he made his way to the runoff stream, he watched wisps of clouds drift by like oddly shaped phantoms on a stroll through the mountains. The prospect of traveling in the cover of the clouds gave him a bit of comfort, and he hurried back to make his tea and fold up camp.

The rest of the day was spent hiking across the cloud-covered trail. Though it made the journey slower, Locke was very thankful for the thick white blankets. On more than one occasion, he had heard the sound of aerial vehicles flying over the mountains, and he could only assume that they were part of this new Imperial Air Force that the Returners had been hearing about. With visibility not more than 20 feet, he was hoping that some of them would fly into the mountainside. One less imperial soldier was always a good thing.

By the end of the day, Locke had started his decent toward Figaro Desert. He began to move more cautiously along the trails to avoid being seen or heard by any troops that might be stationed on the western side of the Willowman. As he quietly moved forward, a shadow in the mist caught his attention and he froze stock-still. Locke's breath caught in his throat as his heart hammered mercilessly in his ears. He stood, listening. After what seemed like hours of waiting, there were still no sounds to give away the soldiers that might be hiding up ahead. He let out the breath he'd been holding, and with his eyes fixed on the white fog in front of him he took a step forward.

CRACK! Echoed along the walls of the pass before and behind him as Locke tripped over the rocks he'd forgotten to watch for. He stumbled left and thrust his hand out toward the wall of the pass only to have it give away in a shower of rocks and debris. He steadied himself and looked at the gaping hole before him and then quickly up the path to see if his fumbling would bring the Imperial army down on him. After a few tense minutes of watching and waiting, he decided that no one else was in the vicinity and turned his attention back to the tunnel he was now standing in. Locke was sure that there was never a cave in this location on the trail, but even more unsettling was the way the walls looked. They were very uniform in shape, almost as if a great beast had clawed its way into the mountainside. The floor of the passage was littered with crushed rock that was pealed from the ceiling of the tunnel. The sight was enough to set his hackles on end.

He hurriedly backed out of the entrance to the tunnel and headed on down the path toward the desert. When he came to a fork, Locke forsook the most direct route and took the trail that headed northward. Weird things had been happening on this mountain, and he felt it would be a good idea to get on a different trail before he descended out of the cloud cover. Again, more time added to the trip, but better safe than sorry.

Darkness had closed in before his feet finally hit the desert sand. Locke would have given about anything for a chocobo at this point, but since that wasn't an option, on foot would have to do. The sky had cleared up on his way out of the mountains, and Locke took a quick read of the stars to get his bearings. After a swig of water, he turned his course to the northwest and set off to walk the few remaining miles.

With the castle in safety mode, the only thing above the sand would be a small platform that was actually the top of the tallest tower. The watchman's fire would make the castle a little easier to find at night since the light would carry a great distance into the desert. Thankfully, it took less than a couple of hours for Locke to spot the light out in the distance and then about another hour to actually stomp through the sand to the guard stationed on the platform.

As he stepped into the ring of light cast by the fire, the command from atop the platform rang out across the desert, "Halt! Who goes there?"

Weary as he was, Locke decided it would be better to put up with the inconvenience of standing still and stating his name than with the inconvenience of having a dozen or so arrows sticking out of his chest. He opened his mouth to respond, but the guard cut him off before he had a chance to say a single word.

"Oh, its you!" The guard then snapped to attention and gave him a crisp salute.

Locke stared, bemusedly, at what had just taken place. "What are you doing? Has the desert heat infected your brain?"

The guards striking pose began to slowly sag as he dropped his hand and looked toward Locke. "But, Mr. Cole, we were given strict orders that in the King's absence, you would have the office of steward," the soldier stated in a pleading manner.

Locke stood there stunned until the guard's question shook him back to reality.

"Is the king well, sir? Or do you bring ill news?"

"The king is quite well," he replied after a moment, "But we have much to do. Wake the Chancellor and have him meet me in the throne room as soon as possible. Have the kitchen bring me something to eat and have a room prepared for me. I'll stand guard here until you send someone else to take your place."

"Aye, sir!" The guard saluted him and took off to perform his tasks, stopping first to send another sentry out to relieve the beleaguered traveler.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Locke practically inhaled the large bowl of soup and crusty bread that the young maid brought him. As she refilled his goblet with water, Locke requested a second bowl. With a curt bow, the maid turned to go and fulfill the request, brushing past the Chancellor on her way out.

"And a fine evening to you, your Thieveliness," the Chancellor said as he bowed low.

"Humph," came the reply. "I think my first order will be, 'Off with your head'."

"I'll have that taken care of immediately," the Chancellor said with a wry grin, and then turning serious, he said, "I was informed that the king is 'quite well'. Would you care to elaborate on that subject?"

The Chancellor took a seat across the table and Locke began recounting the story. He gave the details on their escape from Kefka and the battle in which the young lady used magic to incinerate the Magitek soldiers. The Chancellor sat spellbound as Locke went on to tell how they had come across the wayward prince in the Sabil Mountains, and then the sacking of South Figaro followed by the raid at the Returner's hideout.

"Are you sure the King and prince made it out all right," the Chancellor questioned.

"All I know is that as I was leaving, I heard them make plans to take the Lete River to Narshe. I can't tell you any more than that," Locke said with a heavy sigh. "Now it's your turn, tell me how things are going here."

The maid reentered carrying another steaming bowl of soup as the Chancellor began to go over some of the facts and figures that he had been working on earlier in the evening. "There were no casualties in the attack, but we did have some severely burned soldiers. We believe that they'll all make a full recovery, but this Magitek stuff is nasty business. We've got enough supplies to stay submerged for another month, but I'd advise against it since the locals tend to get a little stir crazy after a few weeks below the surface."

"What's keeping us from making a full surface, now," Locke asked.

"We're not sure about the number and location of enemy forces in the area. We've lost all contact with South Figaro, which makes sense now that we know the city has been taken by Imperial forces. I've just not been prepared to surface into an ambush, but we're at your discretion right now."

"I feel the same way," Locke replied. "I won't feel comfortable until the area has been well scouted. First thing in the morning, we'll send some plainclothes military into the desert to scout conditions. I will head to South Figaro to get a handle on their current condition, and I'll send word back to you through messenger pigeon."

"That sounds good. I'd like to also send someone to Narshe, in case His Majesty has made it there," the Chancellor said.

"That's a good idea, Locke replied.

"I'll have a carrier pigeon made ready for you."

"Give me at least six," Locke replied.

"Six? You don't think one will be enough?"

"I intend to swap the others with the Imperial messenger birds. Then, they'll be sending all their communications to Figaro castle. Once I send you the all-clear message, have a soldier meet me at the entrance to South Figaro cave and I'll give him the Imperial birds. At that point, feel free to send all manner of confusing messages back to Vector."

The Chancellor smiled and rubbed his hands together. "It'll take His Majesty years to straighten us out, after one day of being ruled by you."

Locke chuckled and blew the steam rising from his bowl of soup. "I'm glad you think so."

As the Chancellor turned to leave, he said, "You'll have all the supplies you need ready and waiting in the morning. The maid will show you to your room." Then he added, "You wear the burden of responsibility well, Locke. The kingdom of Figaro thanks you for your help."

Locke looked up at the Chancellor and replied, "It's an honor to serve."

Locke arose a little later than usual the next day. A night in a big soft bed had done much to refresh him, and he was ready to get the next stage of the journey underway. He quickly dressed in a clean set of cloths and left the bedroom.

Upon entering the antechamber of his room, he was met by the maid who had a full tray of breads, fruits, fresh butter, jellies, and hot water for his morning tea. At the sight of the bountiful spread, Locke's stomach immediately began to grumble in anticipation, and the delightful aromas coming from the tray only made it that much worse. "Thank you, Maria. Have you seen the Chancellor this morning?"

"Yes, M'Lord. I'll go and fetch him for you. Will there be anything else?"

"I'd like some honey for the tea, please."

"Certainly, M'Lord."

Locke smiled at her appreciatively as she turned to leave, although he inwardly cringed every time someone used his new title. Normally he would have refused being called by such a formal name, but he understood that in the absence of a king, there was still a chain of command that had to remain visible for the people to feel comfortable and secure. It was truly an honor to be trusted by Edger so much, and Locke was determined to do what was best for Edger and his people.

As he broke off a piece of the steaming bread and began to slather it with butter, the thought occurred to him that being called a "Lord" was at least better than being called a "Thief". He set his tea to steeping and picked out some fresh cut melon to eat with his bread.

Locke enjoyed his breakfast alone for a few minutes before the maid reentered with the Chancellor in tow. "Thank you, Maria. That will be all," he said as he took the honey.

"Yes, M'Lord," and with that she curtsied and retreated to another part of the castle to perform her regular duties.

"Good morning, Steward Cole," said the Chancellor with a beaming smile. "I'll have you know that I enjoyed my first good nights sleep since His Majesty left."

"Don't get used to it," Locke replied. "I'm out of here as soon as I can get supplies. The kingdoms back in your hands, then.

"When do you think you'll be returning?"

"I don't know when I'll be back this direction. There's a good chance that you'll see Edger or Sabin before you see me again, and then there's the possibility that things could go very wrong in South Figaro and you won't ever see me again."

The Chancellor's smile quickly faded away as he realized what a serious mission his young friend was about to head out on. "Well, let me get you up to speed on where we stand this morning."

"Go ahead," he said as he began to stir the honey into his tea.

"I sent out twelve of our best trackers dressed as desert folk. They left at dawn heading out to scout in all directions, some on foot, some on chocobo. If all goes as planned, you'll probably pass a few who are returning while you are on your way to South Figaro."

"That sounds good. I'd still like for you to wait until I've had a chance to scout out South Figaro before you commit the castle to a full resurface. That reminds me, do you have the pigeons ready that I requested."

"Yes. I managed to get ten for you, and they're at the surface along with a chocobo we've prepared for your ride. We would have packed your travel bag, but I'm sure that you'd prefer to do that yourself. If you'll give me a list of what you need, I'll have it made available to you."

Locke gave a single nod as he took a sip from the steaming mug. "Chancellor, even if your soldiers do find that the desert is clear of Imperial forces, you'll need to be extra vigilant. As I was making my way across the Willowman pass, I could hear aerial vehicles. It's possible that the Imperial Air Force has accompanied the forces that invaded South Figaro."

"Hmmm. That's definitely not good news. Do we know anything about them?"

Locke shook his head as he reached for another piece of fruit. "Only that they have the ability of flight. We know nothing of their speed, range, or offensive capabilities. You may want to focus your engineers on getting some wall mounted autocrossbow cannons to help deal with that threat."

"We may indeed want to do that," the Chancellor replied.

Locke pulled the napkin out of his lap and wiped the crumbs from his mouth. "Well, I guess now is as good a time as any to get going," he said as he stood and tossed the napkin on the table.

"I had intended to gather the supplies for you, but if you're ready to go, I can just take you to the stockrooms myself."

"That'll work," Locke said as he grabbed his pack and the mug of tea.

After a quick stop at the stockroom, Locke found himself at the surface. "Chancellor, I leave Figaro in your hands. The title of Steward is yours again."

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Cole. Take care and come back to us alive. We look forward to hearing from you soon."

The two shook hands before Locke donned his pack, secured the messenger pigeons to the chocobo, and headed off to the south.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It was only about mid-morning when Locke finally reached the cave to South Figaro. He was relieved that there were no Imperial troops guarding the passage between the desert and town beyond. Locke had been prepared to bluff his way past the troops by posing as a traveling merchant, but that didn't look necessary.

He slid from the chocobo's back and pulled the rest of his supplies off while holding onto the reigns. When he had relieved the chocobo of it's burden, Locke scratched it beneath the chin and ran his hand down its long neck. The chocobo gave him a soft 'wark' and nuzzled its head against him, pushing him off balance and causing him to stumble back a bit. Locke smiled at the friendly bird and said, "I wish you could go with me, but this tunnel just wasn't built for a bird your size. It's time for you to head home."

He released the reigns and the chocobo gave him one last 'Wark' before turning and heading back into the desert. It would be approaching noon, the hottest part of the day, while the chocobo was heading back. Locke had no reason to be concerned, though; the Figarans had spent many years breeding a special strain of chocobo that was resistant to the harsh conditions.

Locke took one last look across the shimmering waves of heat rising from the desert floor and then retreated into the coolness of the cave. As he made his way along the well-worn path, he thought about how only a week ago he had taken this same route to flee from the Empire and now he was using the trail to run straight to them. He met little resistance as he walked through the cave. Only a few desert creatures that had taken refuge from the glaring sun dared give him any problems.

Light from around the corner ahead beckoned him toward the exit of the cavern, but voices echoing through the passage gave sufficient warning that he would be seeing multiple guards soon. Locke took a deep breath and prepared himself for the role he was about to play.

The shuffling noises and clinking pots were enough to warn the guards that someone was coming through the tunnel, but Locke's whistling left no doubt in their minds.

"Hold there, citizen," the officer barked at the figure coming out of the darkness.

Locke abruptly ended his whistling and slowed to a stop. "Who me? You must have me confused with someone else. I'm a citizen of no place."

"Never mind. Just stand your ground and prepare to be searched."

Locke waited patiently as a soldier came and searched his body and his belongings. The officer finally backed away taking Locke's dagger with him. "He only had this on 'im," the soldier drawled.

"Bring him on out," the captain replied. "We'll question him out here."

"Good sirs. Am I being charged with a crime," Locke asked.

"Naw, just routine questions for any armed person coming through the desert cave," the soldier replied.

Locke was brought to the middle of the small camp and told to take a seat on a large block of stone next to the fire. There was only one officer for the small group of soldiers. Locke counted a total of five army personnel before the officer swaggered up to him and started the questioning.

"Where are you from and where are you headed to," the haughty captain demanded.

"Well, as I said before, I'm from no where and I'm headed to South Figaro," Locke replied.

"From nowhere, ehh? You tryin' to get smart with me boy? State your name and what business you have in South Figaro."

"I'm sorry, sir. I'm not trying to be difficult," Locke pleaded. "It's just that I'm a traveling salesman. I don't have a place I call home. My name is Lance Manning, and I'm headed to South Figaro to do some trading."

"Is that so," the officer said matter-of-factly as he pulled out and perused a list of known terrorists. Satisfied that 'Lance Manning' wasn't on the list, he said, "Well, let's just take a look at your wares and see what you have to offer."

Locke quickly unrolled his sack of goods for the soldiers to see. "Maybe I could interest you gentlemen in a bit of fine liquor strait from the Suthernarshe region."

The captain's eyes lit up at the bottles of alcohol. "Now you've got my attention! Me and my men were sent to this stinkin' outpost to guard against terrorists, and we had to miss the party after the liberation of South Figaro. I think it's about time we had our own little celebration."

A cheer went up from the soldiers that were gathered around.

"How much do we owe you," the captain asked.

Locke beamed a toothy smile and said, "In appreciation for keeping the trail safe for us travelers, I'd like to give you this bottle. If you'd like more, I'll sell the rest to you for a fifty gil each. Do we have a deal," Locke said as he extended his hand.

The captain gripped Locke's outstretched hand in his own and said, "You have yourself a deal, Mr. Manning. We'll take them all."

Locke slipped his dagger back in it's sheath as he left the small encampment, feeling comfortable in the knowledge that most of them would have a problem remembering their own names in the morning. At least this little band of men would be less of an obstacle next time. He knew the way to their hearts was through their shot glass.

The early afternoon sun saw a road weary salesman drag into South Figaro. As far as Locke could tell, the city was lightly guarded. No doubt they put up little resistance when the Empire came rolling into town. They were a city of merchants and farmers not soldiers.

On the way to the inn, Locke strolled by the post office to confirm his suspicions. Just as he thought, instead of maintaining a separate system of communication, the Empire had come in and taken over the local post office. He knew from previous excursions that this particular shop had easy roof access from the inn. "Like taking candy from a baby," he thought.

Locke continued on to the end of the block where the Inn was located. Thankfully, there were not many people in the pub at this hour of the day. He made his way across the smoke filled pub to the innkeeper's desk.

"Hey there chief, what can I do for ya," the jolly fellow behind the counter asked.

"I need to purchase one of your rooms for the evening, and if you don't mind I'd like to get one upstairs so I don't have to hear people thundering across my ceiling all night long," Locke replied.

The innkeeper ran a hand through his greasy, black hair as he looked at a list of rooms. "Looks like the top floor is nearly empty. Most folks think it's too hot up there, so you've got plenty of rooms to pick from. You have any other preferences?"

"Well, if you've got a room on the east side, it would be nice to watch the sun rise in the morning."

The innkeeper looked at his list again before turning to search for a key on the peg-board behind him. "I've got just the room, and for eighty gil, I'll register it to you, Mr…."

"Manning. Lance Manning," Locke lied as he pulled the gil from his coin bag.

"Here you go, bub. Checkout is before noon tomorrow; else I'll have to charge you for another day. You'll be at the top of the stairs, last room on the left. Anything else I can help you with?"

"Yes, where can I get a bite to eat," Locke questioned.

"There's a few restaurants around town, but we'll be serving dinner down here in the Pub in another few hours, and later on this evening we'll have some dancing girls that put on quite a show," he added with a lecherous grin.

Locke thanked the man and trudged up the stairs to his room. Closing and securing the door behind him, he looked at the sparsely furnished room. A small wooden desk stood against the west wall. The bed was in the northeast corner angled to face the door. Locke went to the desk and sat the caged pigeons down and put the rest of his stuff on the floor beside it. He walked over and pushed the heavy drapes aside so he could open the north window that overlooked a small alley behind the inn. After a thorough inspection of the area, he went over and opened the east window to get a nice cross breeze blowing through the room, but also to confirm the route he would take later this evening when he made the pigeon switch.

Exhausted from the day's journey, Locke lay down on the creaking mattress and allowed the cool breeze to lull him to sleep. However, his pleasant nap came to an abrupt halt a few hours later when the band downstairs started the festivities for the evening. It was only dusk, so he decided to head to the Pub for some supper and a little bit of reconnaissance.

Locke quickly found a quite spot at a small table in a corner of the Pub. He turned the wick down on the lantern at the table just a little bit to darken the area. The band of flutes, drums, and stringed instruments were playing a lively tune while drunken bar patrons held their mugs aloft and attempted to dance a jig. An attractive, red headed bar maid carrying a tray of mugs smiled at him as she passed.

Locke watched as she swatted at soldiers hands that tried to pinch or grab her while on her way to deliver the ale. She quickly made her way back through the drunken Imperials to Locke's table to take his order.

"They're animals. Every last one of them," she said in disgust.

"Are they always this bad," Locke asked.

"Ha! You think this is bad? Just wait 'till the dancers get on stage. They'll be calling the carpenter in tomorrow morning to make repairs again. But, enough about them. What can I get for you?"

"Get me a mug of ale and whatever the house special is tonight," Locke replied while watching the chaos unfold around him.

"Alright, that's one ale and a bowl of lamb stew. My name's Lori. If you need anything else, you just holler at me."

Locke gave her a smile and a polite nod and then resumed watching the soldiers and officers get soused and make a general nuisance of themselves. Lori quickly returned with his stew and ale, then left to try and attend to the rowdy crowd. Locke silently ate his meal while listening to the liquored up soldiers blab about the difficulty of hauling supplies from the ships to the town, they lamented about the ungrateful South Figarans that they were now protecting from the evil Returners, and many of them moaned about how the bulk of their force had moved on to Doma while they were stuck here. The highlight of the evening was when one drunken private got down on a knee and professed his undying love to Lori the barmaid. Her face turned as red as her long braided hair when he begged for her hand in marriage.

Locke finished his meal and left the money for his food at the table along with a generous tip for the harassed waitress. He returned to his room and secured the door behind him. Unfurling his pack, he pulled out a set of black cloths that would make moving invisibly through the night possible. After changing into his 'night attire', Locke blew out the candles plunging the room into darkness.

The roof to the next house was only a couple of feet below Locke's window. He made sure that the street and alleyway were empty and then he quietly eased out the window and onto the next roof. He had to silently pad across the roof of two houses before he made it to the post office. The roof of the house that Locke was on happened to be a couple of feet shorter than the roof of the post office, and the architects had used that open space to put a vent for the attic.

No sounds were coming from the vent, so Locke quietly coaxed it from the post office wall and placed it on the roof where he was standing.He slid into the attic, and from there he felt about, until he found the trap door leading down into the aviary where the messenger pigeons were kept. He quietly opened the door and silently dropped into the room. Moonlight cascaded through the single window that was used to release the birds. From the mellow light filtering into the room, Locke could see a single shelf that ran all the way around three of the walls, making a 'U' shape. On the shelf were cages of uniform size bearing the names of most major cities. All of them had at least one bird.

Locke quickly scanned the cages until he came across one with the name 'Vector' carved on it. There were eight birds total, each having a small capsule, inscribed with the Imperial crest, to hold messages. Locke opened the cage and removed all the capsules from the birds. Then, he shut the cage and headed back to his room. For the next few hours, Locke moved back and forth between the post office and his room trading the 'new birds' from Figaro with the ones from Vector.

In the end, he had replaced all the birds in the Vector cage with ones that would fly straight to Figaro Castle. In his room he had a cage full of birds that would fly to Vector along with two extra Figaro birds one of which he intended to use shortly. Before he left the post office for the last time, he began to mix the rest of the pigeons up in different cages. After Locke was finished, it was very unlikely that any of the pigeons would arrive at their intended destination.

Locke made it back to his room and quickly scrawled a message to the Chancellor letting him know that most of the troops had been rerouted to Doma and those left behind where being used simply to guard South Figaro. There didn't seem to be enough troops left in the area to cause Figaro Castle any problems. He attached the message to one of his 'Figaro' birds and then released it through the north window.

Just as he was about to turn from the window and crawl into bed, he heard the strained high-pitch voice of a female rising from the alley below.

"Please, just leave me alone," she pleaded in a near panicked tone.

"Awww, c'mon shweetheart. I just wanna' kissh," came the reply.

Locke strained his eyes to peer into the darkness. Finally, he was able to see a young lady trying to pull her arm away from an Imperial soldier. The sight instantly set his blood on fire. He hated to see any woman mistreated, but seeing it happen at the hands of an Imperial soldier brought back too many bad memories.

In a heartbeat, Locke had gone out the other window and slipped down into the alley. Looking through a pile of rubbish, he came across a stout piece of wood that was just the right size and weight for a club. As the young woman struggled to get free of her aggressor, Locke slipped up behind him and sent a solid swing at the back of the soldier's head.

The private, who was the same one professing his love earlier, crumpled silently to the ground. The young lady, who Locke recognized as Lori, stood there sobbing and staring at the prone form as he checked the man for a pulse.

"He's still alive, but he's going to have an unbelievable headache in the morning. Are you alright?"

The simple question shook the barmaid out of her trance and she noticed Locke standing there for the first time. She started to turn and run, but then a look of recognition washed across her face. "You're that guy from the Pub," she said. "Yeah. You left me a very nice tip and now you've saved my life. Are you some type of angel or something?"

"I guess that would all depend on who you ask," Locke replied with a lopsided grin. "This fellow here probably wouldn't think of me in such grand terms."

"Thank you," was all she could manage to whisper as her gaze once again fell to the body at her feet.

"You better head on home. I'll take care of this guy," Locke said.

After Lori had disappeared down the alley, Locke dragged the body over and propped it against a brick wall. He found a bottle of scotch that the man had been carrying and proceeded to dump half of it all over the soldier's cloths and face. He then placed the nearly empty bottle of liquor in the private's hand and disappeared into the shadows.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Locke awoke shortly after sunlight began cascading through his open window. He was still tired, but there were things that had to be done. He groaned as he swung his feet over the side of the bed. Last night had definitely taken its toll on his body. With his right hand, he reached up and massaged his left side. The twisting and crawling in the attic last night had been as bad as some of the caving trips he'd been on.

He stood up, stretched his aching muscles, and then got dressed in his traveling salesman cloths. Today's agenda called for a trip north to head back through the desert cave. There was a precious cargo of Vector pigeons that needed to be delivered.

When he had finished gathering his stuff, Locke headed downstairs to turn in his room key and get some breakfast. However, before he took two steps into the Pub area on the bottom floor he froze in place. The room looked like a tornado had been let loose in it. Overturned tables sporting broken legs graced the floor where the minstrels had danced the previous evening. Splintered chairs were scattered throughout and broken glass bottles made it impossible to walk bare footed across the room.

Locke spotted the inn/pub owner on the other side of the room cursing and making little headway on getting the mess cleaned. The overweight man looked up from his cleaning when he heard movement in the room and said, "Come to check out have you?"

Locke only nodded as the man slowly and painfully got up from his knees. The owner made his way over to and behind the counter while wiping his hands with the small towel at his waist. "I'm sorry about the noise last night. It just seems to get worse and worse as more of those soldiers come."

Locke smiled at the man. "Don't worry about it. I was so tired last night that I apparently slept through it."

"Well, if you can sleep through that, you can sleep through anything," the owner replied. "The rest of my customers didn't do as well. All of them came down, demanded a refund, and left in the middle of the night. These guys are just costing me too much money. I'm going to have to quit selling alcohol or something, because between the repair cost and the loss of inn patrons, my business is going under."

Locke suddenly got an idea. "Hey, if you're getting out of the pub business, why don't you sell me a few kegs?"

The bar owner didn't even have to think about an answer. "You've got yourself a deal Mr. Manning what kind do you want?"

"Give me two small kegs of your absolute strongest stuff," Locke said.

"Sure thing, but how are you going to carry it," the old man asked.

"Just have them delivered to the chocobo stables as soon as you can, and I'll take care of it from there."

"Sure thing," replied the man. "You'll have it within the hour."

After Locke had paid the man, he stepped out in the morning light to go find another restaurant. As he slowly headed up the street, two soldiers emerged from the alleyway while dragging a third between them. Locke quickened his pace a little to eavesdrop on the conversation the soldiers were having.

"You're a disgrace to the uniform," said the man in charge. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Ohhhh. My head," moaned the private as they dragged him along by his arms.

Locke snickered to himself as he crossed the cobblestone street and headed into the Morninglory café. "Serves you right," he said under his breath while thinking about the soldier's actions the previous night.

As usual, he made his way to a table in the back so he could watch everyone in the room. The restaurant was relatively full for this time of the morning. While scanning the crowd, he caught a glimpse of movement from the corner of his eye. Locke could see the waitress approaching the table, but when he turned full face to see her, his breath caught in his chest. It was Lori.

The beaming waitress stopped at his table and poured a glass full of ice water from the metal pitcher she was carrying. "I never got a chance to thank you for what you did last night," she said in a hushed tone.

Locke, grateful for her discretion, responded in kind, "You're welcome. I'm glad that I was there and could help."

Her smile slowly faded as she stood there and held him in her gaze for a long uncomfortable moment. Finally, she spoke, "It's too dangerous around here."

Her words were not so much a statement of the obvious, but more like a command. It was an unspoken ultimatum that a time for action had come. And in that brief instant, a connection was formed. Locke merely gave her a single nod, but the implication was clear to them both. A pact was made to resist the invaders and hamper their control over the city of South Figaro.

"I'm leaving town, but I'll be back within the next few days," Locke whispered. "I think I know where I can find you."

Lori nodded, "I'll be there." Then, raising her voice to normal levels, she said, "Now, how about some breakfast? I can take your order if you know what you want."

Locke finished his breakfast quickly and left a big tip for the waitress. The two exchanged one final glance before he left the café and headed to the item shop. Locke knew that his trip through the desert cave was going to be a short one. If the Figaro soldier was waiting on the other side, he could turn around and come straight back. This would, however, look suspicious to the Imperial guards. That's why it would be advantageous for them not to notice him when he came back through, and that's why a trip to the item shop for a large bag of sleeping powder was necessary.

After a quick stop to obtain the powder, Locke made his way across town to the chocobo stables. When he arrived, the two kegs were already sitting by the door. The proprietor gave him a nod of acknowledgement then pointed to the kegs and asked, "These things belong to you?"

"They sure do," he replied with a wide smile. "And I'm in need of a chocobo to carry them."

"Well you've come to the right place for that," the old man chuckled. "Not too many people renting chocobos these days, what with the Imperial army all over the place. It's nice to finally have some business."

"In that case, what kind of deal can you give me on two chocobos? I'll only be taking them as far as the desert cave," Locke asked.

The shrewd businessman smiled and rubbed his hands together, "I'm sure we can find a price that we're both happy with."

The trip to the desert cave would be a quick one. Locke stopped only once after leaving town, and that was to put the sleeping powder in the kegs. A little while after that, he arrived at the small encampment in front of the Desert Passage. The captain immediately took in the sight of the heavily laden chocobo and waved Locke over.

"Looks like the trading went well down in South Figaro," the officer said as he hungrily eyed the kegs. "Those wouldn't happen to be for sale would they?"

"Well, I didn't intend to trade them here, but the thought of lugging them through the cave just doesn't appeal to me as much as it did when I bought them. I suppose if we could settle on a fair price, it would make the rest of my journey a little easier."

As the two began haggling over the liquor, a soldier came running breathlessly into camp and yelling at the top of his lungs. "Captain Myers! Captain Myers!"

A hundred scenarios began to play through Locke's mind. Had he been found out? Would he be able to make it back through to Figaro Castle? Should he start running?

In the end Locke just hoped for the best and decided to maintain his composure. The captain, however, did not. He turned his fierce gaze on the subordinate and began shouting, "Can't you see I'm in the middle of something. I'm trying to conduct a little business for the betterment of our camp and you rush up here, like a fool, making me look bad."

The soldier hung his head in shame as the officer berated him. Finally, Captain Meyers gave the order, "Stand at attention, soldier. You can just wait right there 'till I'm ready to deal with you."

"But, Captain. I just wanted to show you…."

"I SAID WAIT."

Locke's muscles began to relax as he realized that the sudden outburst had nothing to do with him. The captain turned his attention back to Locke, and the two were able to pick up where they left off and come to an agreement. With that little bit of business out of the way, Locke unloaded the rest of his stuff from the chocobos and sent them on their way back to South Figaro.

Before Locke headed into the cave, he stopped and shook the captain's hand, "Always a pleasure doing business with you."

"You be careful out there," Captain Myers responded. "We've heard reports of the Returners attacking caravans as they cross the desert. They're a sick, desperate group of people."

Locke's blood boiled at the accusation, but he kept his voice in check. "Thanks, captain. I hope to be back this way soon." And with that he picked up his possessions and headed off into the darkness.

The officer looked appreciatively at the bounty of fine spirits he had acquired before he finally turned and confronted his man. "At ease, soldier!"

The young man relaxed his position, but kept silent. His mouth had already brought the ire of his commanding officer down on his head once. He wasn't in a hurry to do it again.

The captain softened his expression and said, "Now, what was so important that you felt you had to rush up and interrupt me?"

"Sorry, Sir. I was checking our traps for food when I found a young rhinotaur sitting by one. Its mother had fallen in and was killed. I didn't know what to do, so I tied it up and brought it back to camp."

Captain Meyers thought for a while and finally said, "Well, I guess we ought to go take a look at it. Lead the way."

The pair made their way around the central campfire ring and through the mud to the western side of the outpost. The closer they got, the better they could hear the small beast grunting and squealing for help. "Whew, he's a mad little thing," remarked the captain.

"Yeah, he's been squealing like that ever since I drug him away from his mother. I'm surprised you didn't hear it when I brought him into camp."

They arrived at the spot where the private had left the small beast. It's arms and legs where bound with thick cords, and it continued to cry out as it lay in the muck.

"What do you think we ought to do with it, Captain," the private asked as they stood and stared at the young rhinotaur.

"Well, they ain't very good eatin'. Maybe we could keep the little thing and train it to be our mascot," the captain said with a laugh.

The two stood there discussing possibilities for a while, when a low rumbling in the ground got their attention. The young private looked around worriedly as the rumbling increased and asked the captain, "Do you think it's that new machine they've been testing out in the hills?"

"I don't know. It doesn't seem to be coming from the mountains. It seems to be coming from over there," the captain said as he lifted his arm and pointed toward a grassy knoll that lay between the camp and the green meadow.

At about that time, the first in a small pack of rhinotaur topped the hill. In a moment of stark realization, the two soldiers turned and headed back into camp for their weapons. Even while they were raising the alarm, the five full-grown beasts swept into the encampment with the fury of an invading army. The entire regiment was wiped out in minutes, having never lifted a sword in their own defense.

Meanwhile…

Locke had made his way through the cave with little problem and had found a Figaran scout a short distance into the desert. As he approached, the soldier snapped to attention.

"Scout Neman reporting, sir" the soldier said as he saluted.

Locke acknowledged him with a nod and then handed him the cage of birds saying, "Here's a delivery for the Chancellor. Tell him to use his best judgment on what messages to forward to Vector."

"Yes, sir," the soldier replied.

"Any news from the scout sent to Narshe," Locke questioned.

"No, sir. He's not returned yet."

"Well, what's the status back at the castle," Locke asked.

"The castle has made a full resurface, and we've not seen any sign of the enemy. The chancellor did ask me to give you this," the soldier said as he reached into his vest and pulled out a letter.

Locke took the letter and as he began to read, he realized that it was an intercepted communication. They must have sent something out of South Figaro first thing this morning. He started over at the beginning and read more carefully:

_My Emperor,_

_I received your instructions on the fate of the sympathizers. I request that you reconsider the order for a public execution. The situation here is still too volatile, and I feel it would do little to encourage the citizens to be loyal to our Great Empire. I will stay the execution until I hear a final word from you regarding their fate._

_For the Glory of the Empire,_

_General Chere_

Locke crumpled the letter in his hands and threw it to the ground. He thought he hated the Empire before, but it seemed that every day they gave him a new reason to carry the battle even further.

The scout waited a few minutes before he finally asked, "Sir, do you have a message for me to take back?"

Locke stood there for a moment with his head lowered as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Finally he said, "Tell the Chancellor to send a message to them saying that the executions were carried out as ordered. That should satisfy the Emperor's bloodlust and get his mind off the subject of executing South Figarans for a while."

"Yes, sir," the scout replied. "Will there be anything else."

Locke waited a long moment before he finally lifted his head. "Yeah, I need you to give me a black eye."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

After much convincing, the scout finally agreed to grant Locke's request. If the Imperial guards had enough discipline to resist the liquor until later, then he would have a story as to why he returned so quickly. He sent everything but his pack with the scout so it would actually appear that bandits waylaid him.

As he got closer to the exit, he even affected a limp. He was hoping that the soldiers might have pity on him and let him borrow a chocobo to get back to town. He figured he had a chance of getting aid from them since he'd have a story to tell about those evil Returners, but it was probably a slim chance.

Locke was finally close enough that he should be hearing the sentries banter, but all was strangely quiet. He stealthily approached the passage opening expecting to see the soldiers passed out around the campfire, but a much more grisly sight awaited him. All around the camp lay the broken bodies of the Imperial soldiers. The tents and other structures had been torn to shreds.

He wondered at what could have caused such destruction, but didn't have to look very far to find an answer. For there, passed out around the campfire as he expected to find the soldiers, was a pack of rhinotaur. After destroying the camp, they must have busted open the kegs and found Locke's little surprise.

He silently moved from the gaping maw of the cavern and between the snoring horde of invaders. Though, before he could make his way out of camp, Locke heard a small whimper from somewhere beyond the lacerated tent fabric that was billowing and snapping in the wind. Overcome by curiosity, he snuck around the far side of the camp and peaked at what was making the noise. There, behind what was left of the commander's tent, was an exhausted baby rhinotaur. It was still bound by thick cords and whimpering, pathetically, for help.

Locke pulled his dagger out and headed over to free the small beast, but while on his way to cut the ropes, he had an idea. If this pack of rhinotaur came and destroyed the outpost just to save this little one, then they'd probably follow his scent anywhere and do anything to get him back.

This was just the break he needed! Locke grabbed some of the heavy fabric lying close by to use as a pallet. After rolling the young rhinotaur onto it, he went over to one of the destroyed tents and rifled through the mess for a while before he came up with a soldiers uniform and a stash of gil. He quickly packed it in his bag, grabbed the pallet, and left camp heading straight south. Straight to where the supply lines left the ships and headed toward the village.

Night had fallen before he finally reached the coast. Locke figured that he had at least an hours lead on the pack. He could see the stalwart galleons anchored out in the bay, and all across the moonlit waves the small rowboats were bringing troops and equipment to land. On shore, a large line of wagons where being loaded with food, weapons, soldiers, and Magitek Armor.

Locke took some cord from his pack and tied the sleeping rhinotaur's mouth shut. He was still out of hearing range of the caravan, but he didn't want to alert anyone to what he was carrying when he made the drop. He pulled the corners of the fabric up and loosely tied the ends to make a bag.

Dropping the pack from his shoulder, he pulled out the stolen soldier uniform. He hoped that this disguise would get him close enough to be able to drop the package on one of the transports. With all the chaos of ships hitting the shore and soldiers running here and there, it was likely that no one would pay attention to him.

After changing and stowing his pack among some rocks, he hoisted the bag onto his back and headed to the shoreline to join the throng of soldiers that were carrying supplies from the small boats to the line of wagons. Just as he had predicted, no one noticed as he carried a bag of supplies to a wagon in the middle of the caravan. And no one paid attention as he headed back to the shore and disappeared into the night.

Before he left the shore, he buried the soldier uniform among the rocks. He didn't want to be caught with a uniform if his pack was searched when he entered the city. He did not wait around to see the caravan start the journey to South Figaro. Instead of heading straight back the way he came, Locke made a wide arc to the west so that he wouldn't run into the pack of angry rhinotaurs on their way south. It was less than an hour later when he heard them thundering across the plain, heading toward the shore. At that point, Locke readjusted his course and headed straight for the city.

It was another two hours before he finally arrived at South Figaro. His feet were aching from the long day of travel. He had blisters and bruises and could barely keep walking under the weight of his field pack. Locke knew that there was nothing that could keep him awake tonight. He headed up the steps to the Inn and went straight to the desk to get a room. He knew that if he had taken time to look around in the Pub, that he would have found Lori, but he was just too exhausted. There would be plenty of time for talk tomorrow.

It was the next afternoon when Locke was woken up by a knocking on his door. He sat up in bed and tried to gather his wits about him. The knock came again, and Locke slipped out of bed and into his clothes. "Who is it," he asked.

"It's Lori," came the muffled voice from the other side of the old wooden door.

"Just a minute," Locke said as he finished buttoning his shirt and began unlocking the door.

He finally got the door open, and there stood the red-haired waitress with a basket in her arms. "I brought you some…. What happened to your eye?"

Locke had completely forgotten about his shiner. "Uhh, just a hazard that comes with my job."

She raised an eyebrow, as she looked him in the eyes, waiting for him to tell her more. After staring at him for a few moments, she finally said, "Well, I brought you something to eat. Wethrill said that you haven't been downstairs since you checked in last night."

Locke reached up and scratched the back of his head. "Who's Wethrill? I don't think I know anyone by that name."

"Oh, I'm sorry. He's the innkeeper and he also runs the pub downstairs where I work."

It bothered Locke that someone in the town knew him well enough to watch for him, but he supposed that it wasn't all that odd for an innkeeper to remember his patrons, especially when he wasn't getting that many. "Would you like to come in?"

Lori's eyes brightened as a smile came to her face, "Sure!"

She walked over to the small desk and began unpacking her bag of goodies. She had brought fresh bread and some smoked meat. It was only then that Locke realized how hungry he was. The rapid pace he had kept yesterday didn't allow much time for food.

"I don't believe we've been properly introduced," she said as she began putting the meat and bread together. "My name is Lori Glenn. As you know, I work here at the Pub in the evenings and at the Morninglory café in the mornings. I've only been a resident in South Figaro for a year now. I moved here from the south continent after things started getting a little crazy down there. It looks like trouble has finally caught up with me."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," he said. "Trouble seems to follow me too."

"Apparently," she replied, stealing another glance at his black eye.

"As for who I am, my name is Lance Manning, and I do some work as a traveling salesman."

"Sure you do," she said sarcastically as she handed him one of the small sandwiches. "I bet that's your real name too."

Locke only smiled as he took a bite of the sandwich.

"That's what I thought," she said. "So, Lance, do you have anything to do with the Empire's new rhinotaur problem?"

Locke coughed and nearly choked on the bite he had just taken.

"What did you say," he asked wide eyed after he managed to swallow.

"I said, do you have anything to do with the Empire's new rhinotaur problem? They had a base wiped out in the north, presumably by rhinotaur, and a supply caravan almost completely wiped out as well. There were a few soldiers from the caravan that made it back to the city to report, but they're the only ones."

"Hmm. How unfortunate for them," Locke replied as a grin began to creep onto his face.

Lori just shook her head as she looked at him. "There's more to you than meets the eye, I'm sure of it, and there are those of us here that want to help you."

"So, you want to start a resistance to the Empire, is that what it is?"

She nodded her head, "All of us have our reasons, especially Wethrill. Just yesterday they beat him up and threatened his wife and children because he wanted to close the pub. We're all getting fed up with them."

"So how many of you are there," Locke questioned before he took another bite of the sandwich.

"There are only five of us right now, mostly business owners. There's me, Wethrill, Geylinn who owns the item shop, Fredrick who owns the chocobo stable, and Candi another girl that I work with."

"Five," Locke said as he thought. "That's not many, but it's enough to cause trouble."

"Ha, I _knew_ you were holding out on me," Lori said. "You _are_ more than a traveling salesman."

"Yes, congratulations, you figured it out," he said dryly. "Now, since you've proven yourself to be such a smart girl, I need you to be my ears. You work in a position where you can collect a large amount of very valuable information, especially if Wethrill keeps their mugs full of ale."

"What about the others?"

"Right now, I don't have anything that Geylinn and Fredrick can do for us, but have your girlfriend pay attention for any information that could be useful. I'm sure we'll use the others as time goes on."

Lori's long red ponytail bobbed as she nodded her agreement, "I'm sure we will, but for now I'd better go get ready for my night job. I'd also like to tell the others what the plan is before I have to be back here to wait tables."

"Lori, before you take off all fired up to spy on these soldiers, you need to know how dangerous this is going to be. If they find you out, they'll destroy everything that is dear to you, and I mean everything."

"Don't worry about it, 'Lance', like I told you earlier it's already too dangerous around here. It'll only get worse if we don't do something."

Locke looked at her a moment before slowly nodding his head in agreement.

"Now, do I need to salute you or something before I leave," she asked.

A look of fear stole onto his face until Lori broke into a fit of giggles. Finally, he rolled his eyes and said, "No, just go do your stuff."

Lori gave Locke a wink and a smile before she left the room. He locked the door behind her and finished the sandwich as he walked over to the desk to make another one. The possibilities of trouble he could cause were slowly beginning to open up. He ate some more of the bread and meat before he crawled back into bed to get some much needed rest. He was too exhausted to do any more work today.

The next morning, Locke crawled out of bed feeling refreshed and ready for a new day of mischief. After getting dressed, he headed downstairs to let Wethrill know that he would be keeping the room for another night. Then, he was off to the Morninglory café to check on Lori.

On his way over, he noticed that the streets were strangely devoid of army personnel. He would see a soldier here and there, but most of them seemed to have vanished. His pace quickened as he began to come up with reasons to explain the missing troops. Was there a surprise attack on Figaro Castle? Where they amassing to head into Narshe?

His stomach was in knots by the time he made it to the café. He took a table in the far back corner away from the other patrons so that he could chat with Lori when she came to take his order. He didn't have to wait long for her to spot him and head over with a menu and a pitcher of ice water. "Good morning, beastmaster," she whispered with a smile.

"What? What are you talking about? And why are the soldiers gone," he urgently whispered back to her.

She poured him a glass of water as she said, "They're all off trying to clean up your little mess. Not only was an outpost and supply line attacked, two more patrols where annihilated last night and one this morning. For some reason," she said conspiratorially, "the rhinotaur have declared war on the Imperial soldiers."

Locke pretended to peruse the menu while she continued to tell him the story, "I heard some of the soldiers whispering over breakfast this morning that it's like one of the legendary bestmasters have come back from the dead and are commanding the rhinotaurs to rise up against them."

At hearing the soldier's description, Locke sat stunned in wide-eyed silence. "I only expected the second attack," he whispered. "The rhinotaur must have decided that people wearing the Imperial uniform are out to steal their young."

Lori's green eyes lit up as he confirmed her suspicion, "You are definitely more than you appear to be, Lance. Now, tell me what I can get for your breakfast before people start to get suspicious."

He ordered and ate breakfast, quite pleased with the progress achieved by the roving band of beasts. There was a lot to be said for being in the right place at the right time, and Locke had made a life taking advantage of those situations. Before he could leave, Lori came by and told him that she had more information that she wanted to give him and she would drop by his place around one o'clock.

Locke spent the rest of the morning strolling through the city and trying to measure the size and strength of the remaining army. If he had to guess, he'd say that there were less than fifty armed personnel and no Magitek riders left. The Figaran army could probably take them, but he doubted they could hold the position afterwards.

Around 12:30, he finally decided to abandon thoughts of pushing the invaders off the continent and head back to his room. He had been there not more than five minutes when a knock came at the door.

"Who's there," he asked.

Once again, the muffled reply from across the wooden door declared that it was Lori, and Locke opened the door up to let her in. However, she was not alone this time. In behind her stepped a tall, slender brunette that Locke faintly recalled seeing somewhere before.

"Lance, I'd like for you to meet my friend Candice Brentwood. We call her Candi for short."

"Hi, Candi," he said as he closed and locked the door behind them.

"Hello, Mr. Manning," she replied. "I wanted to thank you for all your doing for us, especially for saving Lori's life that night when the soldier attacked her."

Locke blushed a little bit and then told her, "Your friend seems to have a gift for exaggeration. I really haven't done all that much. Not as much as I'd like to anyway."

"At least you're doing something," Lori chimed in. "And we're going to help you."

"That's right," Candi said.

"Alright, ladies. Let's get down to business. You said you had some information for me."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"I don't know if this is helpful or not, but while I was waiting tables this morning," Candi started, "I heard some of the officers complaining about how being in this city is 'like falling off the edge of the world'. From what they say, they're getting no responses to orders that have been sent out to other cities."

"Well, that gives me confirmation that one inconvenience I've set in place is working," Locke said. "But this problem will likely correct itself in the near future. As more carrier pigeons are brought into the city, they'll start getting their messages to the correct places. I'll have to sneak back in the post office and mix things up from time to time."

"Ohhh, I see," said Lori as she put it all together in her head. "You've scrambled up their ability to talk with the other troops by switching the carrier pigeons around. Very clever!"

"Thank you," he replied. "Now, was there anything else that either of you heard the soldiers talking about that we could use?"

The two ladies thought for a minute before Candi finally spoke up. "Well, there is this soldier that's always trying to flirt with me."

"He's not really a soldier," Lori countered.

"Okay. So he's not exactly a soldier, but he wears a uniform and works in the 'Imperial Army mess hall'."

"Whoa, did you just say this boyfriend of yours has access to what the soldiers eat," Locke asked with obvious interest.

"He is **not** my boyfriend," Candi said forcefully with a look of disdain crossing her face. "But, yes, he told me that he helps prepare the food for the soldiers. He said we ought to 'get together and compare recipes sometime'. What a cornball!"

Locke thought for a minute before he finally spoke. "Cornball or not, this guy could give us the ability to cripple the forces stationed in and around South Figaro."

"What are you thinking," Lori asked. "Get him to willingly poison all his comrades?"

"No, I don't know of any Imperial soldiers that have enough brain or courage to turn on their Emperor," Locke replied. "But if I could just switch places with this guy for ten minutes, I could do a lot of damage."

Lori's head suddenly popped up as she exclaimed, "I've got it! I know how we can get in there." Then she turned her head toward Candi and added, "But your not going to like this."

Though the plan was set in motion immediately, it was the next day before it was actually executed. Locke was amazed at how quickly the two ladies had got the ball rolling. Lori had made a stop by Geylinn's item shop to order a few pounds of geshyal powder, a mild toxin that did little more than give stomach cramps and cause severe nausea.

Candi was having her own bout with nausea, brought on by the fact that during lunch the next day, she had invited the Imperial cook to her house for the evening. She didn't really want to be around him, and she certainly didn't need him in her house making unwanted advances, but in the end, she had decided that some sacrifices were worth the results.

Locke showed up, an hour before the soldier arrived, to help Candi finish preparing for the evening. "I know you're nervous about having him in here, but I'll be here with you."

"I know," she said dejectedly. "I just don't even want to see him. I'll be glad when it's all over."

Locke pulled a small vial of white powder from his pocket. "This powder is what you need to put in his drink. This'll keep him out for the rest of the night."

"How quickly does it work," she asked.

"According to Geylinn, it should take effect in a couple of minutes."

"Good, because if it doesn't work by the time he starts talking about his job, I'll probably be the one put to sleep."

Locke chuckled to himself as Candi maintained her scowl and continued setting the table. Once he was sure that everything was in place, Locke wished her luck, headed back to the bedroom, and hid in the closet.

About a half an hour later, there was a knock at the front door. Candi looked up from the table and steeled herself for what was to come. She left her chair and put a pleasant smile on her face as she walked to the front door.

When she opened the door, there stood the Imperial soldier with a box of chocolates and a bouquet of flowers. With a sweep of her arm, she stepped aside and said, "Hello, Robert! Won't you come in?"

"These are for you," he said in a quiet voice.

Contrary to all his blustering and obvious flirting in public, Candi realized that he was actually quite nervous. "Oh, how thoughtful of you! These flowers are so beautiful, and chocolates too!"

She took the chocolates and flowers and headed toward the kitchen to find a vase, but stopped before she reached the doorway. The soldier, who had been admiring her from behind, was shocked when she turned to him and said, "Don't think I don't know what you're doing."

"What? I…I don't think I know what you mean," he stuttered.

"You're giving me chocolates to fatten me up so the other soldiers won't look at me," she said with a teasing smile. "You're a smart one. I'll have to keep my eye on you."

Robert visibly relaxed as she turned and headed on into the kitchen. "Is there anything I can help you with," he asked as he began to follow her.

"No, just come in and have a seat at the table. Dinner is ready, I'm just pouring us something to drink."

The soldier came into the kitchen and took a seat across from the window as Candi put the chocolates on the counter and pulled a vase from the cabinet. After she had arranged the flowers, she turned her back to the seated man and dumped the full vial of powder into one of the glasses on the counter and then poured wine into them both.

"This will be quite different," he said as she sashayed over to the table with the two glasses. "I'm not used to having someone cook for me."

"Well, it's not much, but I hope you enjoy it," she replied as she sat the glass in front of him.

The soldier took a long look at the glass in front of him before he finally said, "If you don't mind, I'll just be having water tonight."

Candi's heart skipped a beat. "Water?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I should have told you. The General sent down an order that none of us soldiers are to have alcohol within twenty-four hours of our next shift. We've had to drag too many hung-over soldiers out of the gutter after they've missed their report time."

Candi's mind was quickly racing to find some way of getting him to drink the sleeping powder. "But I bought this special for tonight," she said as she began to tear up.

A pained expression came across Robert's face as he saw the tears forming in her eyes and watched as her lower lip began to quiver. "I'm so sorry, but I can't disobey a direct order."

A single tear trailed down her face before Candi turned away from him. She was panicked. The only thing she could think to do was get to Locke.

Robert stood, causing his chair to squeak as it slowly grated backwards across the wooden floor. "I've upset you. Maybe I should just go."

Candi composed herself before she replied, "No. Please don't. I'm not going to let something silly like this ruin the rest of the evening."

She wiped her eyes with her apron and then turned to face the soldier. Robert looked as if he were torn between staying and leaving. Finally, Candi said, "If you'll excuse me, for a moment, I'd like to go freshen up."

"Of course," he replied. "Take your time. I'll wait."

She went to her bedroom and shut the door. "Locke," she whispered. "Where are you?"

Locke peeked through the slightly cracked closet door before he opened it. "How are things going in there," he whispered back.

"Not good," she replied as her eyes began to tear up again. "He won't drink the wine, and I put all the sleeping powder in it."

Locke closed his eyes and breathed a heavy sigh. "Well, I guess that leaves us no choice," he whispered as he pulled a small container from his pocket.

"What are you going to do," she asked.

"Nothing, I'm afraid. You're going to have to do this," he replied while unscrewing the top. "Geylinn made this concoction as a back-up. You'll need to apply this to your lips and be careful not to get any of it in your mouth. Don't even brush your tongue over it."

"Oh, no you don't. I see where you're going with this."

"Candi, it's the only way. The other sleeping powder is gone, and we need to do this tonight while most of the soldiers are still out of the city hunting down rhinotaur."

She stood, unmoving, trying to figure out some other way to accomplish the task. Finally, she relented and took the canister from Locke. "Do I have to kiss him on the lips?"

"Yes, and the deeper the kiss, the quicker he'll be out. Just be sure and don't get any in your mouth, or you'll be out too."

Candi took a deep breath and then began to smear the concoction on her lips. It had a pleasant rose smell, and when she looked in the mirror, she saw that it was even the right shade. "Wish me luck," she said as she turned to leave.

"Do a good job," Locke said.

Candi left the bedroom door slightly ajar so that he could hear what was happening. Locke moved up to the door and listened intently. After about a minute, he heard a loud thump and knew that the soldier was probably out cold. He waited for Candi to come back and tell him that the coast was clear, but after another minute had passed, he heard a second loud thump.

After waiting, but hearing no other sound in the house, Locke moved silently down the hall and peeked into the kitchen. Both Candi and Robert were sleeping peacefully on the hard wood floor. Both had smiles on their faces.

Locke picked Candi up and carried her over to the couch. She had done her job; the least she deserved was to sleep comfortably. He headed upstairs and placed a lantern in the window facing the western side of the city, and then he went back down and stripped the soldier of his clothing and put it on. After adjusting the uniform, he grabbed Robert's helmet and pulled it low on his head. Gazing in the mirror, he looked just like any other Imperial cook. Locke checked the uniform pockets to confirm he had a key to the mess hall, he stuffed the bags of geshyal powder into the empty pockets, and then headed back upstairs to place a second lantern in the window before leaving.

It was a short walk through the deserted streets to his destination. As he rounded the corner by the mess hall, Locke noticed that the guards had left their post. They were a few blocks down the street where a chocobo drawn carriage had broken down. The old driver was doing his best to fix the wheel, while the guards attention was firmly riveted on the gorgeous red-haired woman leaning out the carriage window.

The diversion had worked according to plan, and Locke was able to quickly find the correct key and get inside. He headed to the storage room and found a couple of large barrels of flour. After putting on an apron, the dumped the geshyal powder into the barrels. The powder blended in beautifully with the flour, and Locke used a long wooden spoon to mix them together.

After placing everything back in order, Locke left quietly through the unguarded front door. Once Fredrick saw Locke disappear around the corner, he made quick work of getting the carriage repaired and on its way. His last duty of the night was to drop Lori at Candi's house and then head back home.

Locke and Lori, however, still had a job ahead of them. By the time Lori arrived, Locke had changed back into his cloths and was attempting to get the soldier redressed. When she came in and saw Candi on the couch, she said, "What happened here? Did she get the glasses mixed up?"

"Not quite," Locke replied. "It was just a series of unfortunate events, but that's not important at the moment. We need to find some way to get her awake."

For the next three hours, they tried a myriad of things to get Candi awake. In all their attempts, the best they could do was get her eyes open long enough to drink some black coffee, but even that couldn't keep her up. In the end, they decided to seat Robert on the couch and sit Candi cuddled up next to him. When the pair came awake, it would look as if they spent the evening cuddling by the fireplace.

Lori left to get some sleep before she had to start her shift at the Morninglory. It would be a rough day since she would most likely have to cover Candi for part of their shift. Locke decided to stay and wait for the pair to wake up. He found a spot in the hallway closet and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Sometime, shortly after light began to warm the horizon, a rustling sound brought Locke out of his slumber. He peeked out of the closet door to see Robert trying to extricate himself from his situation. The soldier managed to get himself untangled from Candi and then he paused at the front door to take one more look at her before rushing off to get breakfast started.

Locke waited for a few moments before he left his hiding place and bolted the front door. Candi was still fast asleep, so instead of disturbing her, he headed upstairs to the spare bedroom to take a nap. Even though the wicks had already burned down, Locke moved the lanterns out of the window and then crashed on the bed.

Around noon, a pounding at the front door brought both Locke and Candi out of sleep. Locke moved part way down the stairs and listened as Candi stumbled to the door and opened it. Two soldiers were standing there, and one of them handed her a sheet of paper while the other one declared in a loud voice that 'by order of General Kefka Palazzo, the entire town was to be locked down'. An immediate curfew was in effect, and no one was to be on the streets unless they were merchants authorized by the Imperial Army.

The two soldiers left as promptly as they had come, and Candi turned to see Locke padding the rest of the way down the stairs. "Ugh, my head. What happened last night?"

"You did a great job, girl. We were able to get the powder mixed into their supplies. Unfortunately, you knocked yourself out too."

"Now I'm starting to remember," she said with a slight blush. "Robert's a better kisser than I expected. I think I might have gotten a little carried away."

"Well, whatever the case, it's all over now. I wouldn't be surprised, though, if that boy tries to pursue you a little more fervently now. You'll have to figure out what you want to do about it."

Candi nodded her head as she stared at the paper in deep thought. "Well, what are you going to do about this," she said as she handed it to him.

"It looks like I've probably overstayed my welcome here. With the Imperial's clamping down on the city, there will be little that I can do. I need to get back to the inn and get my things."

"If you're leaving, then what are we supposed to do," Candi asked.

"My advice, and be sure and tell the others, would be to lay low and try to abide by their rules for now. We've given them enough problems to keep them busy for a while."

"Alright, Lance. You be careful out there," she said as she gave him a hug. "Thanks for helping us."

Locke returned the embrace before heading through the kitchen and out the back door. The alleyway that he found himself in emptied out on the eastern side of the city. He would have to make his way around the southern side of the city and back in.

As he drew near to the end of the alley, Locke heard a violent retching noise coming from around the corner. When he rounded the corner, an Imperial soldier looked up at him briefly before turning his attention back to the ground to vomit once again. "Are you gonna' be okay," Locke asked.

The soldier kept his attention focused on the ground and replied, "Yeah, I think I'll make it, but I'm going to have to arrest you and take you in for breaking curfew."

Locke knew that being caught at this point was not an option. As the soldier staggered to his feet, Locke took off out of the alley. The soldier gave a half-hearted attempt to chase him, but was in no condition to keep up with Locke. The geshyal poison had already worked a number on his system, and he was too weak.

The soldier finally slowed as the man he was chasing turned a corner about a block away. By the time he reached that same corner, Locke was nowhere to be seen. Later that day, the soldier would file a report of the man he had been chasing along with a detailed description. However, even with the large influx of reinforcements, that man would never be found again.

It was as if he had simply vanished into mid-air.


End file.
